


they all do it the same

by ace8013



Series: little ants are marching [3]
Category: King Falls AM (Podcast)
Genre: ???? not rlly idk. i dont know, Alternate Universe - Marching Band, Angst, Coming Out, Gen, Hurt No Comfort, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Suicide, SO SORRY, Suicide, Suicide Attempt, barely betaed we die like men, ben arnold is very sad, i keep switching what tense im writing in, jack and lily are twins, jack wright is dead, the au equivalent of episodes 66-75
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-20
Updated: 2020-09-20
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:07:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,392
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26556334
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ace8013/pseuds/ace8013
Summary: “What were they thinking with that drill, huh? Literally since day one Sammy and Lily have been at each other’s throats.” In a mocking voice he continues, “Oh yes! Let’s put them next to each other for a hold. Christ.”“This is gonna get messy, I can feel it.”“At this rate we’ll be working on this part all night."orsammy and lily have a big dumb fight
Relationships: Ben Arnold & Lily Wright, Ben Arnold & Sammy Stevens, Ben Arnold & Sammy Stevens & Lily Wright, Sammy Stevens & Lily Wright, Sammy Stevens/Jack Wright
Series: little ants are marching [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1919404
Comments: 1
Kudos: 18





	they all do it the same

**Author's Note:**

> jules wrote some bits of this <333 love u julessss
> 
> TRIGGER WARNINGS!!!!!  
> tw for suicide, drug use, overdosing, death mention, mention of terminal illness
> 
> if you are triggered by any of these things PLEASE don't read this fic at all. 
> 
> a past suicide attempt is mentioned, and the character attempts again in the fic (why am i being vague u all know who it fucking is) character death by terminal illness is mentioned

“Is there a  _ fucking _ full moon or something?  _ Jesus _ ,” Ben mumbles to Emily on their water break.

She snorts. “Wouldn’t be surprised. Tensions are kinda high.”

“What were they thinking with that drill, huh? Literally since day one Sammy and Lily have been at  _ each other’s throats. _ ” In a mocking voice he continues, “Oh yes! Let’s put them next to each other for a  _ hold. _ Christ.”

“This is gonna get messy, I can feel it.”

“At this rate we’ll be working on this part all night. And it doesn’t help that we're in the gym.”

Emily shakes her head, eyes wide. “I swear, if the trumpets don’t get their shit together soon and let us all move on, I’ll walk down there and knock some head together myself.”

“That sounds terrifying,” Sammy cuts in, approaching them from where he’d been talking to a director. “I’ll make a note to never fuck with Emily Potter.”

She laughs. “You’re sweet, Sammy.”

Ben watches Sammy for a minute. “You good, dude?”

“‘M fine.”

“You sure? Look man, I know Lily gets on your nerves but, we’re  _ three weeks  _ to champs. Please don’t like, do something that’ll get you suspended.”

“Don’t worry, Ben. I’m fine. If she’s civil, I’m civil.”

When Sammy picks up his trombone and heads back in the direction of the gym, Emily leans into Ben’s space and he forgets how to breathe for a minute. “I still don’t get why they hate each other that much.”

_ Chill _ , he thinks. “Yeah, me neither. Maybe you’re right, and it is the section thing.”

“Maybe.”

-

It takes three hits to the shin for Sammy to  _ snap _ . 

“Are you kidding me?” He yells.

Lily whips around from where she was facing front-field. “What?”

“You hit me. Again.”

She rolls her eyes. “Well, sorry. Didn’t mean to.”

“You’ve hit me  _ three times _ !”

“I’m sorry!” People are staring now.

“No you aren’t!”

“What is your  _ problem,  _ Stevens?” She steps closer, getting in his space.

“I think you know  _ exactly  _ what my problem is.” Sammy’s voice drips with frustration.

“Well it isn’t me hitting you with a pole, now is it?”

“Got it in one! Let’s get you a trophy,  _ Lily _ .”

“Oh, ha ha. We gonna have this conversation, like  _ big boys _ ? Huh, Shotgun?”

“Don’t call me that.”

“Why not? Only Jack get to call you that?”

“ _ Shut. Up. _ ”

“No. When are gonna stop running away from this, Sammy?”

“Lily, shut your goddamn mouth, I swear to  _ god, _ if you-”

“He’s gone, Sammy. And he isn’t coming back. So what’s it gonna take for you to talk to me about it?”

Sammy's fists are clenched and he’s shaking.

Mrs. Jensen is the first to unfreeze. “Okay everyone, we’re gonna take a water break! You two,” She points at Lily and Sammy who haven't looked away from each other, “are coming with me.”

Sammy and Lily don’t move, even as band members start to slowly migrate towards the hallways, not wanting to miss the fight.

“I mean,  _ goddamnit Stevens _ , I get it man!”

“No you don’t,” Sammy's voice is shaking.

“Yes, I do! You lost your best friend! But I lost my  _ twin brother.  _ My- my fucking other half.” Tears are starting to slip out of the corners of Lily’s eyes. “And maybe it’s worse, that he didn’t even drop off the face of the Earth,  _ like you,  _ I had to  _ watch  _ him die. In  _ pain _ .” She shouted.

Whispers and gasps started among the lingering band members. Emily meets Ben’s eyes and mouths, “Oh my god.”

Sammy inhales sharply and points at Lily’s chest shakily. “We weren’t just friends and I think you always knew that. You just wouldn’t say it because you had too much  _ pity. _ ” He spat.

She laughs, sharp and sarcastic. “We  _ all  _ knew. Believe me, we all knew.”

“Shut the hell up.”

“You’re a coward.”

“I’m a coward?” Sammy asks incredulously before laughing that same sarcastic laugh Lily had. “Go ahead, tell me how I’m a  _ coward _ , Lily ‘high school drop-out’ Wright.”

“You won’t even say his name! And at least I didn’t run away! You were the only person I had left and you know it, Sammy! And you ran away!”

“They made me go!”

“Why?”

“That’s not any of your business, Wright!” He says, turning on his heel to leave.

“Why did they make you go, Shotgun? What? Did they find out about your big gay crush on my little brother?”

Sammy whirls around, renewed anger in his eyes. “Fine! I tried to kill myself, Lily. I tried to kill myself and they pulled me out of school! So I guess you were right! I _am_ a coward.”

Ben covers his gaping mouth with his hand, eyes watering. “Sammy,” He whispers, and when Sammy turns to face him his face falls.

“I’m sorry,” He says quietly. “I can’t,” And he turns and beelines out of the gym.

Emily takes Ben’s hand in her own as everyone stares after Sammy in shock. Ben’s chest hurts. He ignores it.

Mary points at Lily. “You’re coming with me.” She says, firmly.

Lily just nods and wipes her eyes before following Mary out of the gym. Tim tries his best to usher the rest of the students, who’d been hovering, into the hallway.

-

Ben doesn’t hear from Sammy for the rest of the night. He doesn’t think anything of it until 11am, when Wind Ensemble starts.

“Where’s Sammy?” Emily asks as they put their instruments together.

Ben shrugs. “Did you see him at lunch?”

She shakes her head. “He wasn’t in English this morning either, I think he’s out.”

Ben frowns. “I’m gonna text him.” He says, already typing out a ‘ _ hey dude r u ok???’ _

Sammy doesn’t respond.

Ben slides his phone out from under his thigh every chance he can just to make sure he didn’t miss a notification. Ben’s chest hurts. He ignores it.

When Mrs. Jensen gets a phone call towards the end of class and has to step out, leaving the students to mingle among themselves, Emily walks over to crouch next to Ben’s chair. “Did he text you back?” she asks.

Ben shakes his head.

“Weird.”

“Do you think Lily might know what’s going on?” Ben mutters nodding in the direction of where Lily is sitting on her phone.

Emily shrugs. 

The bell rings just as Mrs. Jensen slips back into the classroom. “Practice over the weekend!” She shouts to the class as students stand and start to pack up. “Ben, hang back for a minute.”

He nods and packs up his instrument and tells Emily he’ll see her later.

When he approaches Mary, he notices for the first time that her eyes are red. Ben’s chest hurts. He ignores it.

Mary doesn’t say a thing until the last few stragglers have left the room, and it’s just the two of them.

“Mrs. Jensen, am I in trouble, or-”

“Um, Ben, sweetheart, I just got a phone call from the office, about- about, uh, Sammy.”

And Ben’s heart drops into his stomach. “Is everything okay?” He makes out, past the lump in his throat.

Mary puts a hand over her mouth and shakes her head, and Ben knows he’s crying now.

“Wh- what-”

“Honey, Sammy tried to, uhm, he tried to  _ hurt himself _ , last night.”

And, god, Ben can’t breathe. Next thing he knows, Mary’s hugging him. 

And he just holds on, sobbing into her shoulder.

-

Betty comes to pick Ben up early after that and he doesn’t say a word the entire car ride home. 

She hugged him when she met him in the counselor's office at school, and she hugs him again when they get home, and tells him that it’s going to be okay.

A few hours later, he gets a phone call from Lily, who tells him her parents managed to get a hold of Sammy’s. “He’s okay,” She breathes, and it sounds like she’s been crying, too. “Well- he- he’s alive. And recovering. He’s in the hospital, they aren’t letting him have his phone.”

Ben almost sobs in relief. “How- wh- what did he-”

“I don’t know, for sure. Uh, from what my mom could find out it sounds like he uh- took too m-many pills.”

Ben makes a choked noise. “Oh, god, Sammy.”

“It’s gonna be okay,” Lily whispers into the receiver, “He’s gonna be okay.”

  
  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> so so so sorry. uhhhh. yell at me on twt? @THINKFVST


End file.
